The goal of the conference was to educate, inspire, and empower students to be informed citizens on global climate issues. Subjects addressed included Climate Science, Mitigation/Adaptation, Opportunities, Local/National/International Impacts and Strategies, and Alternative Energy.

I volunteered to attend the conference as a photographer. It was a challenging, but interesting experience. You can see a few samples of my pictures and some technical details below. The main result of my shooting is a slide show assembled from 65 images.

What is your favorite picture if you managed to check this slide show?

I was shooting with Canon EOS 40D camera on a tripod with two Canon lenses: EF 70-200 2.8L and 60mm macro. It was my first work with a flash. Just a few days before conference I bought Canon 580EX II Speedlite and MilaGrid diffuser. I managed to do only a few test shots with my dog Pixel as a model (he survived and is fine).

I also did some internet research on flash photography techniques and I found particularly useful tips and tutorial on using on-camera flash written by Neil van Niekerk:

As photographers we’re always looking for perfect light. And yet, the quality of available light isn’t always ideal. It is rarely perfect.

But I feel that in using flash wisely, I’m able to enhance or over-ride the available light. With careful use of flash, I am more in control of light, and hence the way my photos will look - than if I had just accepted the existing ambient light.

Instead of waiting for perfect light, I use what I have … and add flash to make the best of the situation.

So let’s go … making flash not look like flash